Telephone-disinfector.



B. P. GARDNER.

TELEPHONE DISINFEGTOR.

APPLIGATION IILED AUG. 29, 1910.

975,346. Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

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BENJAMIN FULTON GARDNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF "IOS. R. SALINGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

Application filed August 29, 1910. Serial No. 579,616.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN FULTON GARDNER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone-Disinfectors,and the annexed specifications and drawings will enable those skilled inthe art to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to purify the air in the mouth-piece of atelephone and to destroy all infectious germs which lodge therein,rendering the atmosphere of a transmitter sweet and pure, and free fromdanger to the persons using the same.

In order to accomplish the object desired I use the disruptive dischargeof an induction coil, the sparking terminals of which are arrangedwithin the mouthpiece of a telephone transmitter. In brief I place asecondary coil around one or both magnets of the ringer mechanism. Acircuit extends from the terminals of the secondary coil to theelectrodes which are suitably located within the mouthpiece. g

The operation is exceedingly simple. WVhen the operator signals atelephone equipped with my invention, the current which energizes thebell magnets establishes an induced current in the secondary coil andwith each reversal or make and break of the signal current, disruptivedischarges of the secondary current pass through the spark gap betweenthe electrodes within the mouthpiece. The electric sparks continue whilethe signal circuit is in operation, and cease when the ringing ceases,orwhen the signal circuit is cut out by removing the receiver from itshook. It will thus be noted the disinfector is in operationsimultaneously with the signaling and at no other time. It requires noextra labor upon the part of the operator, and no attention upon thepart of the person using the telephone.

Ozonizin and sterilizing by electricity is not new, neither do I claimthe method nor the apparatus, further than its application to thetelephone and the novel features set forth in the drawings,specifications and claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of my invention with partsbroken away and arranged in a telephone, the circuit showndiagrammatically. Fig. 2 is a top plan of a modification showing onecoil around one magnet of the ringer mechanism. Fig. 3 1s a top plan ofFlg. 1 below the frame. Fig. 4 is a central sectional view of atelephone mouthpiece showing electrodes and spark gap.

A. in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are the electromagnets of the ringer mechanism.

A in Figs. 1, 2 and 8 is a shell or spool of suitable material on whichthe wire A in Figs. 1, 2, 3 is wound and forms the secondary coil.

B. in Figs. 1, 4t and 5 is a mouthpiece of suitable dielectric material.

B in Figs. 1, 4 and 5 are electrodes arranged within the mouthpiece andC in Figs. 4; and 5 is a sparking gap between the electrodes.

As I make no claim for any part of a telephone other than my inventionof a disinfector, further description is not necessary.

It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the secondarycoil A is wound with a sufficient number of turns of wire upon the shellor spool A ,and,placed over the bell magnets; the terminals extending asa circuit to the electrodes B to which the circuit wires are connectedas shown in Fig. 1.

When a reversible current is caused to circulate in the coils of theringer magnets at each reversal of the current, which I designate as theprimary current, a secondary current is induced in coil A of my device.Within the circuit of the secondary coil A are electrodes B and asparking gap C shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The induced current in order tocomplete its circuit jumps the gap between the electrodes and producesthe spark which ozonizes the air and sterilizes the mouthpiece. Thesparking will be continuous when the signaling device is operated, andcut out when the talking circuit is used.

Having described my invention and set forth the object to be attainedthereby, that which I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. A telephone disinfector, comprising electrodes fixed in and insulatedby the dielectric material of a mouthpiece and suitable means in thesignal circuit of a telephone to cause sparks to pass in the gap betweenthe electrodes when the signal is operated.

2. In a telephone disinfector a mouthpiece of dielectric material,electrodes arranged Within the mouthpiece, terminal Wires of a secondarycoil in direct contact With said electrodes, said secondary coil mountedupon and around the ringer magnets whereby an induced current isestablished in the secondary coil when the ringer is operated causingsparks Within the sterlhze the same.

BENJAMIN FULTON GARDNER.

mouthpiece to

